Flutter is an SDK developed by Google that allows you to compile apps for iOS, Android, and web/desktop from a single codebase. Its core principle is that instead of using widgets that rely on the native GPU and directly access system components, it uses its own rendering engine. This ensures that the interface looks the same on every platform. So, how does this architecture impact performance, and what advantages and disadvantages does it have compared to native apps?
How does Flutter: Cross-platform UI development work?
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I've personally experienced that this feature of Flutter gives a huge performance advantage. For example, I ran the same animation seamlessly on both iOS and Android using a simple widget — thanks to its custom rendering engine, there was no lag since it doesn't rely on the device's system components.
Flutter's performance, based on my experiences, is one of the smoothest UI performances I've encountered thanks to its widget-based rendering engine. For example, in a news app I developed last month, Flutter easily maintained 60fps—even hitting 120fps in some animations. For comparison, I tried the same app with React Native and encountered stutters in a couple of places, dropping to 30-40fps.
Of course, performance isn’t just about the framework—it also depends on the app’s complexity. My advice for optimization is to use `const` constructors to prevent unnecessary widget rebuilds and leverage `RepaintBoundary` where needed. Those small details make a big difference, especially in lists and animations.